EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
BEACON 2021
Assembling the 2021
Path With People
29% $1B-$4.99B
28% $5B-$9.99B
17% $10B-$14.99B
9% $15B-$19.99B
17% $20B+
The past year has been like no other. Shaken by the pandemic, businesses are now faced with a new 1000-piece jigsaw. Just how exactly do they plan for the future? And what lies ahead?
By speaking to over 700 industry leaders—across businesses big and small—we’ve created a Beacon Report fit for extraordinary times.
2019 Revenue:
29% C-suite
24% Executive
32% Director
15% Sr. Manager
LeVELS:
29% C-suite
34% IT
17% HR, Ops,
and Strategy
FUNCTIONS:
Although leaders on the whole are excited for 2021, the coronavirus outbreak still has a major influence on strategy and certainty levels. Customer preferences are the top catalyst for change, followed by crisis in general. With squeezed budgets, leaders are focusing on three things above all else—operations, cybersecurity and customer experience.
Here, you’ll discover what WILL really influence the coming year. And what to do about it.
fueling technological change
Fresh planning and work models can fuel technological change
Over three-fourths of organizations say data and analytics are a priority
The Role of Analytics
Attainability
Agile ways of working
71% of organizations list it as a priority; less than half believe it’s attainable
Employee experience
Two-thirds of leaders cite skills and capability as a top factor
Workforce
CX and EX are entwined
Read the 2021 E-book
What you need to know for the year ahead.
We’ve found the top strategic priorities for 2021.
Despite clear winners (such as operational efficiency, cybersecurity and customer experience) less than half of respondents feel very prepared to deal with any of them. Budgets concerns are tightening the pressure. Yet transformation can still work in your favor. Because the most important piece—people—opens up everything else.
feel very prepared to address
cite as a strategic priority
feel very prepared to address
cite as a strategic priority
feel very prepared to address
cite as a strategic priority
There’s a new pandemic-driven agenda
Look ahead to flexible skill sets
Arm HR for continuous change
Find your shared definition of value, linking employees, customers and business needs together. Then manage changes carefully, with as little friction as possible. How? With flexible governance structures like the Transformation Value Office. They connect top-down vision with the work that gets done.
Treat transformation like a critical asset
Taking action today
Leaders understand technology is their best shot at full or close-to-full-scale enterprise transformation. But there’s a confidence gap... How can you bring employees on board with these new tools? Increasingly, our respondents are turning to agile working and more frequent, iterative planning cycles.
Fewer than 50% believe data and analytics are very attainable
Over half believe this is now a significant competitive advantage
Fresh planning and work models can fuel technological change.
The added pressure to keep up with CX and technological priorities in 2021 leads to one major focus—the employee experience (EX). Without healthy, happy and motivated employees, customers won’t get what they’re looking for, and a technical or process revolution won’t take off. Many organizations are realizing this more than ever.
71%
Talent management & development
Fresh planning and work models can fuel technological change.
Just one-third of leaders say they are very prepared to address it
Where do you start? Here are our main takeaways for people-first improvement:
Bring Human Resources into discussions about efficiency, operations and security. They need to keep staff healthy and engaged through the transition. Consider shorter planning cycles and embrace agile ways of working.
Single, hyper-specific talent investments may let you down in the long run. Think about how you can quickly source the expertise needed to keep pace with your evolving priorities. To harness your people as a differentiator, ensure these investments align with your shared definition of value.
Although leaders on the whole are excited for 2021, the coronavirus outbreak still has a major influence on strategy and certainty levels. Customer preferences are the top catalyst for change, followed by crisis in general.
With squeezed budgets, leaders are focusing on three things above all else—operations, cybersecurity and customer experience.
Just one-third of leaders say they are very prepared to address it
Talent Management & Development
Two-thirds of leaders cite skills and capability as a top factor
71% of organizations list it as a priority; less than half believe it’s attainable
Look ahead to flexible skill sets
Attainability
TrEAT TRANSFORMATION LIKE A CRITICAL ASSET
TAKING ACTION TODAY
Find your shared definition of value, linking employees, customers and business needs together. Then manage changes carefully, with as little friction as possible. How? With flexible governance structures like the Transformation Value Office. They connect top-down vision with the work that gets done.
Bring Human Resources into discussions about efficiency, operations and security. They need
to keep staff healthy and engaged through the transition. Consider shorter planning cycles and embrace agile ways of working.
41%
72%
Treat transformation like a critical asset
Arm HR for continuous change
Look ahead to flexible skill sets
LeVELS
FUNCTIONS
2019 Revenue
29% $1B-$4.99B
28% $5B-$9.99B
17% $10B-$14.99B
9% $15B-$19.99B
17% $20B+
29% C-suite
34% IT
17% HR, Ops, and Strategy
29% C-suite
24% Executive
32% Director
15% Sr. Manager
Who we talked to
TOP PRIORITES FOR THE YEAR AHEAD
Treat transformation like a critical asset
Arm HR for continuous change
Look ahead to flexible skill sets
Assembling the 2021
Path With People
READ THE EBOOK
Read the 2021 E-book